Movement-compensating load-supporting structure for converters and the like



M. C. FALK Aug. 1, 1967 MOVEMENT-COMPENSATING LOAD-SUPPORTING STRUCTUFOR CONVERTERS AND THE LIKE 2 Shasta-Sheet Filed April 29, 1966IINVENTOR. Marfm G, Fa/k g- 1957 M. c. FALK IviOVEMENTCOMPENSATINGLOAD-SUPPORTING STRUCTURE FOR CONVERTERS AND THE LIKE Filed April 29,1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 2;

Gm a q u a Q h .i. H M p :7 .M /j 5 5% 0m 5:? m m Wm TF mm mm 9 N do a 2A WC. m M 3K 2 a: v a M BR m W m 6 S M 6% m fl a m n ,.n.,. & v 1 I E i,m M a I g m a N@ W H MHU I lmlllill L II a w h n-. w A@ x@ e 2% ww NQJun m E. m w 4. am; N xk W3 DEM w JP: p mm mm; $3 w G; wflfi a nfl wmI... aw {0 mm X. w gm mi m rmmwmflwm mm 0mm 7 x w 8 a 22 E mm g QM 3United States Patent Ofitice 3,333,801 Patented Aug. 1, 1967 3,333,801MOVEMENT-COIVIPENSATING LOAD-SUPPORT- ING STRUCTURE FOR CONVERTERS ANDTHE LIKE Martin C. Falk, Pittsburgh, Pa., assignor to PennsylvaniaEngineering Corporation, New Castle, Pa., 21 corporation of PennsylvaniaFiled Apr. 29, 1966, Ser. No. 546,294 15 Claims. (Cl. 24819) Thisinvention relates to supporting or housing structure for driving meansemployed for rotating or turning a heavy device, such as a furnacevessel. The invention particularly pertains to improved load-supportingand force-containing means for a suspended housing or the like fordriving or actuating means of a furnace vessel, such as an oxygenconverter that is employed for melting and refining a metal such assteel.

The power wheel and drive for heavy rotative furnace vessels that areadapted to, for example, process 50 to 300 tons or more of molten metalare subjected to various forces that have to be taken intoconsideration, and means provided for containing, resisting orcontrolling them. Thus, an important phase of my invention deals withmovement-compensating load-supporting structure for a drive-carryingshaft-mounted housing that is tumably or rotatably positioned on orsuspended from a shaft portion of a heavy device such as a furnacevessel or converter that is subjected to misalignment force during itsuse and has shaft portions turnably or rotatably mounted with respect toor on stationary support means, such as a pier or foundation structure.Another phase of the invention deals with snubbing means which willcooperate with a rotatably or turnablymounted housing to, in an improvedmanner provide for, resist, contain, and control its movement.

It has been an object of my invention to provide effective and etficientsnubbing and load supporting means for heavy shaft-mounted equipmentthat is constructed for turning movement on and for coaxia1 movementwith the shaft;

Another object of my invention has been to provide structure forsupporting the total load of a housing and of driving mechanism carriedthereby that is employed with rotatively-mounted heavy equipment and to,at the same time, permit limited movement of the structure with respectto a fixed mounting or support structure;

A further object of my invention has been to provide load-carryingstructure suitable for a so-called hang-over type of housing or supportthat is employed for carrying driving or actuating means in asubstantially constant efiicient and effective driving or meshingrelation with a power wheel or driven gear that is secured on the shaftof a heavy device, in the nature of a furnace vessel, for turning orrotating the device;

A further object of my invention has been to providemovement-compensating and load-carrying structure for driving means of aheavy device or furnace vessel that will act in a balanced opposedmanner to control relative movement between the structure and fixed orstationary support means;

These and other objects of my invention will appear to those skilled inthe art from the illustrated embodiment and the claims.

In the drawings;

FIGURE 1 is a side view in elevation showing structure or apparatus ofmy invention as employed with a driven trunnion shaft of a furnacevessel;

FIGURE 2 is a greatly enlarged side fragment in sectional elevationshowing details of the construction and mounting of a snubber unitconstructed in accordance with my invention and shown as applied inFIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a top plan view of and on the same scale as the unit ofFIGURE 2; and

FIGURES 4, 5, and 6 are transverse sections in elevation on the scale ofand respectively taken along the lines IV-IV, VV, and VI-VI of FIGURE 2.

The Lakin et 'al. Patent No. 3,207,002 sets forth the difliculties thathave been encountered in the use of heavy equipment of the type hereinvolved, particularly from the standpoint of driving means therefor.With the present-day trend of increasing the size and capacity of oxygenblow furnaces, the load has increased to such an extent that thesnubbing equipment is subjected to increased wear and tear. I have alsofound that there is an important need for load carrying or supportingmeans that will at least lessen the load on the trunnion shaft whichcarries the drive wheel or bull gear, as well as on the housing orsupporting structure for drive means, such as gears and motors, thatare, in turn, carried on the housing. There has, however, been a probleminvolved in this connection from the standpoint of the provision of aload supporting means that will not adversely affect the operation ofthe snubbing means, and that will permit desired limited movement of thesupported apparatus to accommodate it to expansion and turning forces. Ihave been able to devise and provide load supporting means thatcomplements the operation of the snubbing means and enables it to bebetter designed for its particular functioning and that, at the sametime, materially reduces the stress and strain on a driven trunnionshaft or portion.

Referring particularly to FIGURE 1 of the drawings, I have shown afurnace Vessel 10 that is in the form of a converter vessel such as usedin the oxygen-blow refining of steel. The vessel 10 has an open mouthportion 10a to receive metal to be processed when in its substantiallyupright position and to pour refined molten metal when in itsdownwardly-tilted position. The vessel is adapted to rotate about ahorizontal axis, represented by a pair of opposed trunnion shaftportions extending in axial alignment from opposite sides of itstrunnion ring 1011. FIGURE 1 shows a drive side of the furnace and itsdriven trunnion shaft portion 11; the other side will customarily have atrunnion shaft portion carried by bearings in a stationary stand. Thelatter shaft portion, if desired, may also be driven and provided withmeans illustrated as applied to the shaft portion 11.

A driven wheel or bull gear 12 is secured or feathered on the trunnionshaft 11 for actuating it and is adapted to be positively driven orrotated by peripherally-located and spaced-apart motor drive units Athat are shown positioned as upper and lower spaced-apart pairs on amain or primary support housing 13, with one drive unit A of one pairbeing in vertically-opposed alignment with a corresponding drive unit Aof the other pair. Each drive unit A is positioned in a peripheralrelation with respect to the bull gear 12, with its drive pinion meshingwith the gear 12. The housing 13, as for example illustrated in theLakin et al. Patent No. 3,207,002, is mounted or journaled on the shaft11 for turning or rotative movement with respect thereto. The suspendedhousing 13, in addition to enclosing the bull gear 12, serves as acarrying means or mounting support for the drive units A, includingtheir mounting platforms 19, their housings 16, reversible electricmotors 17, speed reducing units, operating connections such as gears,pinions and shafts, and brake equipment 18.

Each drive unit A is provided with what may be termed a secondary,transversely-split, two-part housing 16 that is bolted together andwhich is, in turn, bolt-secured to a mounting platform 19. This, forexample, enables each unit A of the lower pair to be dropped byseparating the 3 lower half of its housing 16 from the upper halfthereof to facilitate repair and maintenance.

In the illustrated embodiment of FIGURE 1, each unit A has a reversibleelectric motor 17 whose shaft 17a carries a brake drum that is adaptedto be engaged by a conventional brake mechanism 18 to facilitatepositive stopping of the unit A after its power has been shut-off, andto prevent rotative movement during a charging operation of the furnaceor a shifting of the metal load, etc. The motor shaft 17a is connected,as customary, through a speed reduction unit, shafting and gearing toactuate a pinion 14 that meshes with the gear wheel 12. It will be notedthat each mounting platform 19 is secured to project outwardly from themain housing 13 and has a projecting frame to which the secondaryhousing 16 of each unit A is bolted. In FIGURE 1, I have shown a pair ofspaced-apart platforms mounted adjacent opposite bottom ends of thehousing 13. It is thus apparent that the full drive system or apparatusfor the driven trunnion shaft 11 is supported or carried on the primaryor main housing 13. The same principle of support may be used forexample, if the drive motors are not carried by the housing, but areconnected thereto by flexibly-coupled shafting. In the latter situation,the drive pinions, their shafts and mounting will be carried by the mainhousing, and the motors may be mounted on a fixed or stationary plantsupport means, foundation or pier 9. See also FIGURE 1 of Lakin et a1.Patent No. 3,197,187.

As will be appreciated from a study of the construction of FIGURE 1, aso-called overhang type of support structure, principally represented bythe housing 13 andthe drive mechanism and structure carried thereby,will involve a considerable suspended load for the trunnion shaft 11. Ihave provided means C, shown as two, under-positioned, horizontallyspaced-apart units, that are symmetrical about a center line of thetrunnion shaft and particularly, with respect to a vertical projectionof the shaft, which units serve to carry the load. The units C makefeasible a complete or full support of the load (static and dynamic)represented by the positioned relation of the housing 13 on the shaft 11and, at the same time, permit relative movement of the housing withrespect to fixed or stationary support means, stands or foundation piers9. The nature and construction of the load supporting or carrying meansC of my invention is such that wear and tear on snubber or torque bufferunits B (see FIGURE 1) is minimized in that they, in themselves, do nothave to function as partial load supports. It also makes it possible toutilize the snubber units B in a cooperating as well as more efficientand effective manner from the standpoint of their desired functioning,adjustment, control and operation.

Each lower platform 19, as shown particularly in FIG- URES 1, 2 and 3,has an outwardly-extending snubber flange or projecting abutment member20 that is adapted to be operatively-engaged by or connected to anassociated snubber unit B. Each snubber flange 20, on its outer side orface, has an inset, vertical slot or guide portion 20a, as defined by apair of spaced-apart, vertical, guide edge portions 20b, toslidably-receive an abutment slide block or element 25. The slide block25 is positioned for sliding movement in a plane parallel to thelongitudinal axis of the trunnion shaft 11, or vertically in theillustrated embodiment, as indicated by the arrows a of FIGURE 2, and incooperation with a conical or spherical socket part 26 that isloosely-slidably positioned on the outer end of an operating plunger 27,in such a manner as to avoid an end tilting (lifting or lowering force)on the plunger. This provides a sliding universal type of connectionbetween each flange 20 and the associated snubber unit B. Each snubbermember or flange 20 is reinforced by a wing portion 21 extending fromits associated platform 19. A loadcarrying leg or arm 22 projectsradially-downwardly or in an inclined plane outwardly with respect tothe shaft 11 from the reinforcing wing portion 21 and is weld-secured tothe lower end of the abutment flange 20 (see FIGURE 2) as an integralpart of each lower platform 19 and thus, of the main housing 13. Eachload-carrying leg 22 is provided with a somewhat planar abutment face orplate portion 22a that is sloped along a line or curved area ofrevolution about the housing 13. The face is shown slightly curved toconform to the line of revolution and thus, to correspond to thedirection of rotative thrust, indicated by the arrows c of FIGURE 1 ofthe drawings.

The slide block or element 25 has a spherical, conical or rounded openouter bore face 25a that terminates centrally thereof in aninwardly-olfset grease bore or recess portion 25b. Lubricating grease orthe like may be introduced into the recess portion 251) through a greaseport or passageway 28 extending through the snubber or abutment flange20 and through the block 25. A pivot element, cup-shaped or socketelement 26 is adapted to somewhat loosely-slidably fit on a forward endof the plunger 27 to carry it within a substantially cylindrical openend bore 26b thereof. The pivot, socket or cup-shaped element 26 has afront conical, rounded or sphericaal end face 26a that corresponds incurvature with the rounded portion 25a of the slide block 25, in orderto define a spherical (ball and socket) mounting therewith forself-alignment purposes. The positioning and mounting of the slide block25 and the element 26 between the abutment flange 20 and the forward endof the plunger 27, minimizes'any tilting force on the end of the plungerand, at the same time, maintains it in operating alignment with theflange 20 under conditions of both slight outward thrust or verticalmovement (as represented by the arrows a), and under conditions ofcircular thrust or turning movement (as represented by the arrows c).The operating connection between the end of the plunger 27 and theabutment flange 20 thus may be termed a ball and socket, guidedslidetype of connection.

As shown particularly in FIGURES 2 to 6, inclusive, each snubber unit Bhas a base mounting plate 30 positioned on the foundation or pier 9 of aplant. A top mounting plate 31 is shown positioned on the lower plate 30and secured thereto and to the fixed structure 9 by bolt and nutassemblies 32 whose bolts are securely-embedded at their lower endswithin the pier structure 9 and whose upper ends are threaded toremovably-receive nuts and washers thereon. Each unit B is shownprovided with a cylindrical front housing 35 which encloses the plunger27 and which carries a pair of front and back spaced-apart bearingsleeves 36. As shown particularly in FIGURE 2 the bearing sleeves 36 aremaintained in an operating relation by a spacer sleeve 37 to abutagainst front and back end closure rings 38 and 40. The front ring 38 isremovably-secured to the housing 35 by threaded bolts 39 and the backring 40 may be fixedly-secured in position between the back end of thehousing 35 and the front end of an intermediate housing 45 that is shownof rectangular shape. A closure piece or ring 41 is secured, as by weldmetal, between the housings 45 and 35 and to the back 7 end ring 40.

The intermediate housing 45 serves to position a shockabsorbing,resilient, cushioning unit or assembly 48 which may be of bellows-likeshape and made-up of integrallyconnected rubber sleeve sectionsreinforced by wire ring inserts. The assembly 48 will normally be undera preset compression force between the back end of the operating plunger27 and a front face of a slidable end abutment plate or member 51. Tofacilitate the replacement and maintenance of the shock-absorbing unitor assembly, the housing 45 is provided with an open top portion 45bover which a top closure piece or plate member 46 is removably-securedby threaded bolts 47. The unit or assembly 48 operates axially orendwise within the housing 45 and, at its front end, abuts against afront abutment disc or plate 49 that is shown removably-secured to theend of the plunger 27 by a threaded bolt 50 for movement therewith. Atits back end, the unit 48 rests against rectangular,

back abutment plate or member 51 that is. slidably-positioned in thehousing 45, and that has a central bore 51a therethrough to receive apin end extension 58a of a pressure-setting or adjustment controlplunger 58 which, like the front plunger 27, is shown of solidcylindrical construction.

The adjustment plunger 58 is operatively-positioned for sliding movementwithin a hollow, adjustment screw cylinder or sleeve 56 that hasrelatively fiat wear-resisting outer threads 56a along the outerperiphery of its axial length. The threads 56a are adapted toadjustably-operate within an internally-threaded collar or socket 52that is shown weld-secured to the back end of the housing 45, asreinforced by an overlapping closure or banding member 53. The socket 52and screw sleeve 56 constitute a mechanical screw jack. It will be notedthat the front housing 35 has a leg or stand 43 projecting therefromthat is weldsecured (see w) to the platform member 31, and that thehousing 45 also has a similar leg or stand 54 that is weld-secured tothe same platform member.

The hollow adjustment screw 56 is provided at its back end with aprojecting flange 57 having peripherally spacedapart radially-opensocket portions 57a therein to receive a rod-like pin or tool. It isthus apparent that a rod-like tool may be inserted within one of thesockets 57a to turn the screw 56 within the collar 52 and advance orretract the screw 56. Since the front end of the screw 56 is adapted toabut with the back end of the slide member 51, an adjustment ofcompression force exerted on the shockabsorbing assembly 48 may beaccomplished to provide it with a desired setting.

As also particularly illustrated in FIGURES 2 and 3, the adjustmentplunger 58 has a back end abutment boss 58b that is adapted to engagethe forward end of a piston rod 61 of a fluid-operated or hydraulic jack60. It will be noted that the resilient assembly 48 is provided with apreset compression force, axially or endwise, by opposed force exertedby the back end of the operating plunger 27 and exerted by the frontface of the slide member 51 that engages the back end of the assembly48. It is apparent that the compression force exerting position of theslide part 51 may be adjusted more or less minutely to give a finelyadjusted relation by the screw 56 and may be adjusted in largerincrements by the fluid jack 60. That is, the fluid jack 60 may beemployed for rougher adjustments while the mechanical screw 56 may beused for finer or micrometer adjustments.

The fluid jack 60 has, as shown, a cylindrical housing within whichpiston rod 61 and its piston operate in the usual manner of a fluidmotor and, as controlled by front and back positioned fluid ports 62 and63 which alternatively become fluid inlet and outlet ports, dependingupon the desired direction of movement of the piston and thus of thepiston rod 61. The jack 60 is shown secured on the platform member 31 bya pair of spaced-apart front and back mounting brackets 65 and 65. Theplatform 31 is also provided with a pair of longitudinally-extendingtransversely spaced-apart side frame members 66 that are secured to thefluid jack 60, to the closure or banding member 53, and to an uprightback end plate 64. The back end plate 64 is shown provided with a pairof backwardlyextending vertically spaced-apart reinforcing shelfportions 67 and 68.

In FIGURES l and 2, each load support projection or leg 22 is shown asextending in an inclined, radial manner, downwardly-outwardly from anassociated platform 19 and the main housing 13, in a balanced, offsetmanner with respect to the other load support leg 22. The abutment faceportion 22a of each load supporting leg 22 has a reinforcing face plate70 secured thereto that (as shown in FIGURE 2), on its outer face, isprovided with a hearing portion or pad 71 secured thereon. Each bearingpad 71 cooperates with a complementary bearing pad 72 that is secured tothe forward face of a reinforcing face plate 73 of an upwardly-inwardlyprojecting abutment post 74 that also extends radially with respect tothe trunnion shaft 11. The bearing pads 71 and 72 have curved,complementary, opposed, abutment faces that correspond in slope andcurvature to a common line or area of revolution about the housing 13 orsubstantially to the rotative thrust movement imparted to the housing13, as repre sented by the arrows c of FIGURE 1. Each post 74 extendsendwise in alignment with an associated leg 22 to provide opposeddiagonal supports adjacent opposite bottom end portions of the housing13.

The reinforcing plate 73 is secured to the upper face of each post tocarry its bearing pad 72. As shown particularly in FIGURE 1, each post74 is reinforced by structural members 75, 76, and 77, and, at its backend, carries a vertical mounting plate 78 that is fixedly-secured inabutment with and to a vertical mounting plate 83 by bolt and nutassemblies 84. The mounting plate 83 is carried by a reinforced framestructure consisting of members 80 and 81 in a fixed relation on thefoundation or pier 9. A shear block 79 is carried by the abutment plate83 in such a manner that the lower end portion of the abutment plate 78rests thereon. It will be apparent from the construction that the fullweight or load of the housing 13 and the structure and apparatussupported or carried thereby may be carried by the fixed posts 74, andthat relative movement, such as in the direction of the thrust arrows cof FIGURE 1, is enabled by the support legs 22 with respect to the posts74 between the opposed abutting faces of the pads 71 and 72,

It will be apparent that the sliding abutment of hearing portions 71 and72 enables the load, including its weight, the Weight of the apparatuscarried thereby and loading imparted by movement or jarring of thevessel 10, to be fully supported on fixed or stationary support.

means of the plant in a relative movement-permitting relation withrespect thereto. The bearing portions 71 and 72 permit both resisted andcontained turning movement of the housing 13 on the shaft portion 11 andcontrolled coincidental axial movement of the housing as primarilyresisted, contained and controlled by the snubber units B. The units Cthus relieve the units B of the housing load and, at the same time,cooperate with or supplement the units B in their functioning. The useof common integral projecting portions 21 and 22 for the units B and Cin their peripherally spaced-apart and opposed relation at the lowerportion of the housing 13 provides optimum results.

Although I have illustrated a particular embodiment of my invention asapplied to a furnace vessel, it will be apparent to those skilled in theart that various modifications and changes may be made therein withoutdeparting from its spirit and scope and also that it may be applied toother heavy devices where a similar problem may arise.

I claim:

1. In a movement-compensating load-supporting structure for adrive-carrying housing that is turnably-suspended from one shaft portionof a heavy device such as a furnace vessel that is subjected tomisalignment force during its use and has shaft portionsturnably-mounted with respect to stationary support means, housingsupport means projecting from a lower portion of the housing, post meansprojecting from the stationary support means substantially endwisetowards and in alignment with said housing support means, complementarybearing portions on outer ends of said housing support and post meansand having opposed faces in sliding abutment with each other that aresloped along a common line of revolution about the housing, whereby theload of the housing will be supported in a relative movement-permittingrelation on said post means by said housing support means.

2. In a movement-compensating load-supporting structure as defined inclaim 1 wherein, said housing support means has portions projecting ingenerally opposite directions from the housing, said post means hasportions projecting generally in opposite directions from the stationarysupport means to cooperate with an associated portion of said housingsupport means, and each portion of said housing support means and ofsaid post means has complementary hearings on its outer end that is inan opposed slide-abutting relation with an associated portion of theother means, and said complementary bearing portions are sloped alongthe common line of revolution about the housing, whereby the load of thehousing will be supported on the portions of said post means to resistturning movement of the housing in either direction about the one shaftportion.

3. In a movement-compensating load-supporting structure as defined inclaim 1 wherein, side-positioned means positioned on the stationarysupport means cooperates with the housing and said post means forresisting and containing turning movement of the housing and to providefor and control coincidental axial movement of the housing with a presetapplication of force.

4. In a movement-compensating load-supporting structure as defined inclaim 1 wherein, said post means has a pair of posts securely fixed tothe stationary support means, said pair of posts are in an opposedspaced-apart relation with each other and project radially-inwardlytowards the axis of the one shaft portion, and said housing supportmeans has a pair of legs projecting from the housing radially-outwardlyof the one shaft portion to cooperatively-engage an associated post ofsaid post means to resist turning movement of the housing.

5. In a movement-compensating load-supporting structure as defined inclaim 1 wherein, said support means is in the form of leg means, saidcomplementary bearing portions are in the form of bearing pads securedon the outer ends of said leg and post means in sliding abutment witheach other, and said bearing pads have opposed complementary curvilinearfaces sloped along the common line of revolution about the housing.

6. In a movement-compensating load-supporting structure as defined inclaim 5 wherein, said leg means has a pair of legs projectingradially-outwardly in a peripheral- 1y spaced-apart relation from andwith respect to the housing, and said post means has a pair of postsprojecting radially-inwardly from the stationary support means towardsand in substantial alignment with an associated one of said legs.

7. In a movement-compensating load-supporting structure as defined inclaim 6 wherein, an abutment flange projects from the housing adjacenteach of said legs, and snubber means is secured on the stationarysupport means adjacent each of said abutment flanges to cooperativelyengage therewith to provide for and control coincidental coaxialmovement of the housing.

8. In a movement-compensating load-supporting structure as defined inclaim 6 wherein, abutment flanges project from the housing adjacent saidlegs, and opposed snubber means secured on the stationary support meanscooperates with said abutment flanges and said post means to resist andcontain turning movement of the housing on the one shaft portion andprovide for and control coincidental axial movement of the housing.

9. In a movement-compensating load-supporting structure as defined inclaim 5 wherein, snubber means is secured on the stationary supportmeans, abutment means is carried by the housing, said snubber meansengages said abutment means for resisting and containing turningmovement of the housing on the one shaft portion, and said snubber meanshas means to; in cooperation with said leg and post means, provideforand control coincidental axial movement of the housing.

10. In a movement-compensating load-supporting structure as defined inclaim 5 wherein, a driven gear is secured on the one shaft portionwithin the housing, drive pinion means is operatively-carried by thehousing in operating engagement with said driven gear, and actuatpositelower end portions of the housing, a driven gear is secured on the oneshaft portion, driving means is positioned on each of said platforms foractuating said driven gear, said housing support means has a pair oflegs and said post means has a cooperating pair of posts, one leg ofsaid pair projects radially-outwardly and downwardly from one of saidplatforms and the other leg of said pair projects in the same definedmanner from the other of said pair of platforms, and one post of saidpair projects radially-inwardly and upwardly-endwise towards one of saidlegs and the other post of said pair projects in the same defined mannertowards the other of said legs.

12. In a movement-compensating load-supporting structure as defined inclaim 11 wherein, a snubber flange projects from each of said platformsadjacent to the associated leg, and a pair of snubber units are securedon the support structure with one of said snubber units having amovement resisting and containing connection with one of said snubberflanges and with the other of said snubber units having a movementresistingand containing connection with the other of said snubberflanges.

13. In a movement-compensating load-supporting structure as defined inclaim 12 wherein, each of said snubber units has an operating plunger, aresilient compressible force-absorbing assembly, and an adjustmentplunger for applying a compression presetting to said assembly; saidassembly is operatively-positioned endwise between said operatingplunger and said adjustment plunger, and cooperating means is carried byan outer end of said operating plunger and by an associated snubberflange that provides a sliding universal joint connection between saidsnubber flange and said operating plunger.

14. In a movement-compensating load-supporting structure as defined inclaim 13 wherein each of said snubber units also comprises, a slideplate in abutment with a "back end of said resilientcompressible-force-absorbing assembly, a screw socket, a sleeve-likescrew operatively-positioned in said socket to, at its front end, engagesaid slide plate and effect a compression presetting of said assembly,said adjustment plunger being operatively-positioned for slidingmovement within said sleeve-like screw to, at its front end, engage saidslide plate, a fluid motor positioned in alignment with said adjustmentplunger and having a piston at its front end to engage a back end ofsaid adjustment plunger and advance it to effect a compressionpresetting of said assembly.

15. In a movement-compensating load-supporting structure as defined inclaim 13 wherein said cooperating means comprises, a slide blockguidably-carried by the associated snubber flange and having anoutwardlyopen rounded socket portion, and a cup-shaped element having arounded end operatively-positioned within said socket portion and havingan opposite sleeve-like open end portion slidably-positioned on theouter end of said operating plunger.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,678,968 7/1928 Allen 24819 X2,981,463 4/1961 Dagrell 2482 X 3,207,002 9/1965 Lakin et a1. 746653,262,569 7/1966 Wade et al 24819 X JOHN PETO, Primary Examiner.

1. IN A MOVEMENT-COMPENSATING LOAD-SUPPORTING STRUCTURE FOR ADRIVE-CARRYING HOUSING THAT IS TURNABLY-SUSPENDED FROM ONE SHAFT PORTIONOF A HEAVY DEVICE SUCH AS A FURNACE VESSEL THAT IS SUBJECTED TOMISALIGNMENT FORCE DURING ITS USE AND HAS SHAFT PORTIONSTURNABLY-MOUNTED WITH RESPECT TO STATIONARY SUPPORT MEANS, HOUSINGSUPPORT MEANS PROJECTING FROM A LOWER PORTION OF THE HOUSING, POST MEANSPROJECTING FROM THE STATIONARY SUPPORT MEANS SUBSTANTIALLY ENDWISETOWARDS AND IN ALIGNMENT WITH SAID HOUSING SUPPORT MEANS, COMPLEMENTARYBEARING PORTIONS ON OUTER ENS OF SAID HOUSING SUPPORT AND POST MEANS ANDHAVING OPPOSED FACES IN SLIDING ABUTMENT WITH EACH OTHER THAT ARE SLOPEDALONG A COMMON LINE OF REVOLUTION ABOUT THE HOUSING, WHEREBY THE LOAD OFTHE HOUSING WILL BE SUPPORTED IN A RELATIVE MOVEMENT-PERMITTING RELATIONON SAID POST MEANS BY SAID HOUSING SUPPORT MEANS.